Bobi Wine Slams Tanzania Over Tundu Lissu's Four-Year Prison Sentence

National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has strongly criticized Tanzania’s judicial system following the sentencing of opposition leader Tundu Lissu to four years in prison. Kyagulanyi argued that the conviction on an incitement charge is a calculated move by authorities to silence political dissent and punish legitimate democratic advocacy.

Tundu Lissu, who serves as the chairman of the Chadema party, had been facing severe legal jeopardy. A three-judge panel at the High Court in Dar es Salaam acquitted him of treason charges, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove any intent to overthrow or intimidate the government. However, the court opted to convict him on an alternative lesser charge of incitement linked to his electoral reform campaign.

The charges stemmed from Lissu’s outspoken opposition to the October 2025 general election framework, where he championed the popular campaign slogan “No Reforms, No Election.” Following his arrest in April 2025 at a rally in Mbinga town, Lissu spent 577 days enduring pre-trial detention.

While celebrating the dismissal of the treason charges as a victory against state intimidation, Kyagulanyi questioned the rationale behind keeping Lissu incarcerated. He stated that the subsequent four-year jail term demonstrates how autocrats weaponize judicial institutions to punish political opponents.

Furthermore, Kyagulanyi emphasized the importance of regional solidarity between opposition forces in Uganda and Tanzania. He reaffirmed NUP’s unwavering support for Chadema and the Tanzanian citizens demanding democratic reforms, declaring that the struggle for freedom remains a shared continental fight.

Read more details on the original report by Nile Post.